The acquisition of long-term immigration documents is carried out through one of thetwo processes established for such purposes by the National Immigration Institute, Entry Permit and Change of immigration characteristic.

of an immigration status and characteristic takes place when the immigration agent, at the port of entry, stamps the admission seal on the immigration form.

This applies to any nationality so that the foreign national obtains a visa for over 180 days, which shall enable him/her to perform lucrative or non-lucrative activities, in the Mexican consulate he/she selects.

This applies to regulated nationalities in the events where the Consulate denies the foreign national the visa requested.

Process

The process starts at the National Institute of Immigration office, where all the documents required for obtaining the entry permit, are delivered.

The response time, whether acceptance, denial or request of additional requirements is 30 natural days.

In the following cases, the immigration authority shall instruct the consular representation by electronic means to carry out an interview with the interested foreign national, in order to verify his/her identity and the information provided. If acceptable the corresponding visa shall be issued.

The foreign national bearer of a visa that enables him/her to obtain an FM3 or FM2 shall be filed upon his/her admission into the country with FMM; this immigration form only files his/her lawful stay for 30 days as from his/her entry, within such term the FMM shall be replaced with the FM2 or FM3 immigration form, as the case may be, before the INM Regional Delegation that corresponds to his/her address. On the other hand, the foreign national shall find him/herself in an irregular situation and shall be subject to the penalties established by the General Population Law.

The company, institution or individual who has submitted requirements accreditation process to obtain an immigration status or characteristic, shall be the foreign national’s joint responsible for the amount of penalties incurred, and in this case, he/she shall pay for the repatriation expenses.

This applies to restricted nationalities in all the events.

This process may be initiated at the Interior Service or directly at the Exterior Service, in order to obtain a foreign national’s authorization to enter Mexico, under the non-immigrant or immigrant status in any of its characteristics. In any case, the acquisition

Note: As from June 2010, FM3 and FM2 immigration documents shall no longer be issued by consulates.

Part of our services includes identifying your current immigration status in order to offer you the best option for your Mexican visa or long-term immigration document in Mexico. Our immigration & naturalization experts are attorneys with over 10-year experience in the field who have assisted foreign nationals from all over the world to attain their visas and immigration documents under all kinds of immigration statuses and characteristics.